Smile
by Captain Holly Short of the LEP
Summary: Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it's breaking. Sonny turns up to work without a smile on her face. What she's upset about, nobody knows. All she seems to be doing is going through pictures. Channy. Happy ending.


**_Smile_**

**_

* * *

_**

Part of Sonny Munroe that nobody seemed to be able to live without was her smile. It lit up everybody's day, made them feel like everything was okay and most of all, just made them feel happy.

The problem though was when Sonny didn't smile.

These times were very rare and only happened when she was extremely upset. Like when her hamster, George died or when she got bullied at school back in Wisconsin.

This is why it was a huge shock to everyone at Condor Studios when Sonny Munroe turned up to work on a Monday, a day she usually smiled right through, with a frown on her face and shiny eyes like she had just been crying.

"So we times the denominator by two as that is what we have done with the numerator…" Miss Bitterman was saying to the class of five.

Zora sighed, putting her head on the desk to sleep. Tawni pulled out her compact mirror to redo her blush. Nico and Grady continued playing wireless multiplayer with each other on their Gameguys under their desks. Sonny stared out the window, a lone tear falling down her cheek.

* * *

_Smile, though your heart is aching_

__

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

_you'll get by_

**_

* * *

_**

You'd think by now that somebody would have asked Sonny what was wrong. That would be a correct assumption if Sonny had allowed them to. She had just sat on the chair in her dressing room until class started, then stared out the window. No one could be sure what was wrong, but they were going to find out somehow.

"Hey, Zora," Nico asked the twelve year old as they walked into the prop house after a flawless, yet almost robotic rehearsal from Sonny. "Have you figured out what's wrong with Sonny?"

Zora shrugged. "I watched her for a bit from the vents and she stared forlornly at the floor then out the window then started going through photos, crying every so often."

"I wonder what's wrong," Grady said, voicing all their thoughts.

* * *

_If you smile through your fear and sorrow_

__

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll see the sun come shining through

_for you_

**_

* * *

_**

Sonny flipped a page of her photo album, her face expressionless. The picture in front of her was one that she'd never forget.

* * *

_"Is this table okay, milady?"_

_ "Yeah it's great," Sonny replied. "But is a bit drafty." _

_ Chad, being the gentleman that he was, lent her his jacket, laying it over her shoulders. _

_ "Yoshi, my man," Chad said as the sushi waiter placed their food in front of them._

_ "This is the coolest second first date I've ever been on," Sonny said, smiling at the actor across the table. _

_ "I'm glad you like it," he replied, taking her hand in his._

_ "But it's not perfect yet," Sonny said. _

_ Chad snapped his hand back. "It's not perfect?" He started to panic. "What do you mean it's not perfect?"_

_ "Well the stars are out, which is nice," Sonny said. "The view's amazing, which is great. And you're here, which makes me happy. But, I don't know. Something's just missing." _

_ "What is it?" Chad started to panic. "What's missing. Oh no." He reached for his glass of water. _

_ Sonny saw the signs and gently made him put his glass down. "OK, relax. Easy on the water. You know, I just thought that if you're not worried about how the world sees you, then I shouldn't be afraid of how my friends see me." _

_ At that moment protests came from Sonny's apartment. _

_ "What are they doing here?" Chad asked, gesturing at the randoms. _

_ "I texted them," Sonny replied. _

_ More protests came from the window, but were silenced when Sonny's mother pulled the curtain across. _

_ Chad turned back to Sonny. "To us?" _

_ "To us." _

_ Neither of them noticed at the time, but that was when Connie quickly t__ook a picture of them clinking their glass, smiles on both their faces._

_

* * *

_

Sonny felt an involuntary tear fall down her cheek and quickly turned the page before more started to fall.

She would have chuckled at the next picture if it weren't for her miserable mood.

* * *

_"We're spending our anniversary tracking down that jerk, aren't we?" _

_ "Yeah," Sonny replied. "We need to find a way to get me out of this costume, Hank back into this costume and this is going to require you being in a different costume." _

_ "What?"_

_ "Do you have to take a picture?" he complained, tugging uncomfortably on the collar of the costume. _

_ "Of course," Sonny replied, putting an arm round his shoulder and snapping the picture, a huge grin on her face. "How else will we have proof to show our kids in twenty years time that their dad did in fact dress up in a hotdog costume?" _

_ Chad felt a grin spread across his face, he couldn't help it. "You see us together in twenty years?" _

_ Sonny sighed. "No, Chad. I see us together in seventy."_

_

* * *

_

_Light up your face with gladness_

__

Hide every trace of sadness

_Although a tear_

_May be ever so near_

_That's the time you must keep on trying_

_Smile what's the use of crying_

**_

* * *

_**

"Sonny?" came a voice from the doorway of her dressing room.

Her head jerked up quickly. "Chad?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Who else?"

"I though you had…" she started.

He placed a finger on her lips. "It was a false alarm. The doctor says I have another seventy or eighty years of my life yet." He looked at her sternly, though she could see the twinkle in his eye through her tears. "Now, why did you leave?"

"I-I was afraid," she stuttered. "When you collapsed, I thought you had died and I-I…"

Chad put his arms around her tightly. "I'm fine. It was just heart burn, Sonny from the number of doughnuts I ate."

Sonny felt a grin cross her face, still slightly masked by the tears. "You did have a lot," she said. "I told you to stop unless you wanted to get fat."

"I was hungry!' he protested, then his face went serious again. "I was also disappointed that you weren't there when I awoke."

Sonny pulled her head into his chest. "When the ambulance came for you, they asked if I wanted to ride with you. I was terrified, Chad, that I had lost you so I-I ran home."

"You ran home?" he asked, shocked. "Sonny, that was miles away! You could have been hit by a car, then where would I be?"

Sonny lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "I'm just glad you're okay," she said.

A huge smiled crossed her face. Chad couldn't help it. He felt a grin spread across his own.

* * *

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile_

_If you'll just _

_Smile_

_

* * *

_

**Okay so what did you guys think? I had this idea while studying for Chemistry and listening to the Glee Cast's version of this song. The idea came to me almost instantly and I had to post it. This might be the last thing that I post before my exams which are in about three weeks. After that though, I should have quite a bit of material to post as I write when I'm stressed. **

**Please review and make my day (which has been spent studying for my chemistry exam). **

**-Captain Short**


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